The curious case of proton migration under pressure in the malonic acid and 4,4'-bipyridine cocrystal

In the search for new active pharmaceutical ingredients, the precise control of the chemistry of cocrystals becomes essential. One crucial step within this chemistry is proton migration between cocrystal coformers to form a salt, usually anticipated by the empirical ΔpKa rule. Due to the effective role it plays in modifying intermolecular distances and interactions, pressure adds a new dimension to the ΔpKa rule. Still, this variable has been scarcely applied to induce proton-transfer reactions within these systems. In our study, high-pressure X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy experiments, supported by DFT calculations, reveal modifications to the protonation states of the 4,4'-bipyridine (BIPY) and malonic acid (MA) cocrystal (BIPYMA) that allow the conversion of the cocrystal phase into ionic salt polymorphs. On compression, neutral BIPYMA and monoprotonated (BIPYH+MA-) species coexist up to 3.1 GPa, where a phase transition to a structure of P21/c symmetry occurs, induced by a double proton-transfer reaction forming BIPYH22+MA2-. The low-pressure C2/c phase is recovered at 2.4 GPa on decompression, leading to a 0.7 GPa hysteresis pressure range. This is one of a few studies on proton transfer in multicomponent crystals that shows how susceptible the interconversion between differently charged species is to even slight pressure changes, and how the proton transfer can be a triggering factor leading to changes in the crystal symmetry. These new data, coupled with information from previous reports on proton-transfer reactions between coformers, extend the applicability of the ΔpKa rule incorporating the pressure required to induce salt formation.

Regio- and Stereoselectivity of the Norrish-Yang Photocyclization of Dialkyl 1,2-Diketones: Solution versus Solid State Photochemistry of Two Polymorphs

As shown by X-ray crystallography, crystals of 3β-acetoxy-16,17-seco-17,20-dioxopregn-5-ene-16-nitrile are dimorphic. The regioselectivity of the Norrish-Yang type II photocyclization under visible light of this steroidal 1,2-diketone, which bears primary, secondary, and tertiary nonequivalent abstractable γ-hydrogens, dramatically increases in the crystalline state of both polymorphs. X-ray crystallography and molecular mechanics calculations reveal crystal structure-solid state photochemistry relationships.

The role of free space in photochemical reactions in crystals at high pressure - the case of 9-methylanthracene

The influence of pressure on the course of [4+4] photodimerization in crystals of 9-methylanthracene is presented. The studies were performed at 0.1 and 0.4 GPa. As a result of the reaction at high pressure, crystals of the pure product were obtained, which allowed for monitoring of the reaction until its completion. The initial increase in the unit-cell volume caused by the reaction under ambient conditions was reduced at high pressure due to the decrease in the void volume. Despite the smaller size of the void volume at high pressure, dimer molecules formed during the reaction changed the orientation of the monomer molecules in the crystal structure. The size of the voids above the terminal rings of the monomers correlates with the position of the terminal rings in the dimer. The reaction rate increased at high pressure, indicating that the decrease in the distance between adjacent monomers caused by pressure dominates over the decrease in the void volume. This distance is statistically constant as the reaction progresses, contrary to the reaction at ambient pressure.

High pressure: a complementary tool for probing solid-state processes

High pressure offers insight into the mechanisms of a wide range of solid-state phenomena occurring under atmospheric pressure conditions.

The reasons for the photochemical behaviour of propylamine 4-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzoyl)benzoate during the Norrish–Yang reaction

Intermolecular interactions are responsible for the direction of the Norrish–Yang reaction.

Monitoring photo-induced transformations in crystals of 2,6-difluorocinnamic acid under ambient conditions

Several conditions need to be fulfilled for a photochemical reaction to proceed in crystals. Some of these conditions, for example, geometrical conditions, depend on the particular type of photochemical reaction, but the rest are common for all reactions. The mutual directionality of two neighbouring molecules determines the kind of product obtained. The influence of temperature on the probability of a photochemical reaction occurring varies for different types of photochemical reaction and different compounds. High pressure imposed on crystals also has a big influence on the free space and the reaction cavity. The wavelength of the applied UV light is another factor which can initiate a reaction and sometimes determine the structure of a product. It is possible, to a certain degree, to control the packing of molecules in stacks by using fluoro substituents on benzene rings. The crystal and molecular structure of 2,6-difluorocinnamic acid [systematic name: 3-(2,6-difluorophenyl)prop-2-enoic acid], C9H6F2O2, (I), was determined and analysed in terms of a photochemical [2 + 2] dimerization. The molecules are arranged in stacks along the a axis and the values of the intermolecular geometrical parameters indicate that they may undergo this photochemical reaction. The reaction was carried out in situ and the changes of the unit-cell parameters during crystal irradiation by a UV beam were monitored. The values of the unit-cell parameters change in a different manner, viz. cell length a after an initial increase starts to decrease, b after a decrease starts to increase, c increases and the unit-cell volume V after a certain increase starts to decrease. The structure of a partially reacted crystal, i.e. containing both the reactant and the product, namely 2,6-difluorocinnamic acid-3,4-bis(2,6-difluorophenyl)cyclobutane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid (0.858/0.071), 0.858C9H6F2O2·0.071C18H12F4O4, obtained in situ, is also presented. The powder of compound (I) was irradiated with UV light and afterwards crystallized [as 3,4-bis(2,6-difluorophenyl)cyclobutane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid toluene hemisolvate, C18H12F4O4·0.5C7H8] in a space group different from that of the crystal containing the in-situ dimer.

A single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition in [Co(NH3)5NO2]Br2 at high pressure: a step towards understanding linkage photo-isomerisation

A single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition above 6.0 GPa is discussed in relation to the structural mechanism of homogeneous linkage photoisomerisation that is accompanied by photomechanical effects in the same compound.